IHOP opens in Howell; more planned

HOWELL – Get ready to see a few more blue-and-white IHOP signs bordering roadways throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The pancake-oriented chain restaurant, already scattered throughout seven locations in both counties, opened its eighth spot earlier this week in Howell Commons shopping plaza on Route 9 North in the township.

Ed Doherty, the chairman and CEO of Doherty Enterprises Inc., the Allendale-based franchisee, says that his company plans to follow the opening of its first IHOP with two or three more of the restaurants during the next four or five years around the Jersey Shore region.

"I own the Applebee's right next door and I didn't want anybody else to come in and compete against me," said Doherty, whose company holds franchises in seven restaurant concepts within 140 restaurants on the East Coast, including Panera Bread and Quaker Steak & Lube, among others. "This is our business, and this (gave us) an opportunity to expand to another national brand that has a great following across the country."

IHOP filled a roughly 6,500-square-foot free-standing space large enough for 215 people. The single-story building previously housed a Johnny Carino's family restaurant, which vacated the space early in 2012. At one time, Doherty's company owned Johnny Carino's franchises, including the one in the township, but he sold those leases four years ago.

Doherty hired roughly 150 employees to work at his IHOP, including cooks, hosts, hostesses and managers. IHOP, owned by DineEquity Inc., the Glendale, California-based company that also franchises and oversees Applebee's restaurants, now occupies 52 locations throughout New Jersey, including ones in Brick, Keyport, Marlboro, Neptune, Stafford and two in Toms River.

Anthony Panissidi: 732-643-4284; apanissidi@gannett.com

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